Crocosmia is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa to Sudan. Crocosmias are grown worldwide with more than 400 cultivars produced.
Crocosmia is a genus of about 7 species of cormous plants from grasslands in South Africa. They are good fresh cut flowers which are frequently used in commercial flower arrangements. Genus name comes from the Greek words krokos meaning saffron and osme meaning a smell for the smell of dried flowers steeped in warm water. 'Lucifer' is an Alan Bloom hybrid (Crocosmia x Curtonus) which has flowers and foliage that are similar to gladiolus. A clump-forming plant that features tubular, nodding, scarlet red, one-sided flowers borne along the upper portions of stiffly arching, sometimes branched, flower scapes (stems) typically rising up to 3' (infrequently to 4') tall and slightly above the narrow, sword-shaped, basal leaves. It can be invasive in the coastal USA.
